Environmental justice oriented movements have emerged in various cities throughout the world in response to environmental hazards impacting urban residents. This article draws on a case study from Yogyakarta in Indonesia and refers to environmental justice movement theories in chronicling protests from local civil society actors in regard to scarcity of water resources and the demands for urban development policies and practices that are based on environmental justice regarding fairness in distribution, recognition of diverse participants, and public participation. The civil society actions in Yogyakarta are focused on demanding equal access to water resources, recognition of the voices and aspirations of citizens, and the provision of adequate space for the participation of urban residents. This article argues that civil society actors have the capacity to create platforms for environmental justice and resistance to inequitable and unsustainable urban development practices. © 2020, © 2020 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.